Kathy Reiffenstein's Blog on
Creating Confident, Persuasive Speakers

April 2008

April 23, 2008

Gestures are those random hand movements, very noticeable to others, but employed quite unconsciously by us in our presentations. You've seen them...hands windmilling through the air; hands constantly pushing slipping glasses or flipping errant hair; hands clenching and unclenching in white-knuckled agony.

Although we all use our hands unconsciously to some extent, a goal for the professional presenter is to become more aware of how hand gestures either enhance or detract from what you are saying. The simplest rule to follow is:

Any hand gesture that supplements or clarifies what you're saying is good.

Any hand gesture that doesn't really add anything, but isn't obsessive, is neutral.

Any hand gesture that distracts and annoys your audience is bad.

A few examples...

THE BAD

wringing hands

arms crossed with each hand tightly grasping the opposite elbow

hands flying around excessively, often described as "talking with one's hands" [please note that normally expressive hand use is just fine and even helps you convey enthusiasm and energy]

thumping on a table or podium consistently to emphasize points

THE UGLY

constantly scratching or rubbing your nose (or other parts of the face or body)

putting your finger in your ear (or somewhere worse) [I recently watched a video on YouTube where a gentleman...delivering tips on making an effective presentation...periodically insertedhis finger into his ear(!)]

excessive (literal) finger pointing at members of the audience

THE GOOD

regularly steepling hands to keep excessive movement in control

hands mime what you're saying, e.g., hands extended far apart if you're describing something large or pointing to show direction

arms at 90 degrees to body, open, with palms up

in short, using hands with intention so that gestures are meaningful and further enchance your words

Practice in front of a mirror, a trusted colleague or on videotape is the surest way to get control of, and modify, unconscious gestures.

Enjoy this amusing example of a mismatch between gestures and message.

April 03, 2008

Post writer Anne Kornblut describes the story, which Senator Hillary Clinton told in a Cleveland campaign speech, about a young woman from a small Ohio town who worked in a pizza parlor. The young woman got pregnant, started having problems, went to the hospital but couldn't get treatment because she didn't have the $100 the hospital demanded before they would see her. Next time she went to the hospital she was in an ambulance. After losing the baby, the young woman was airlifted to a larger hospital where she died. As Clinton finished the story, according to Kornblut, "the audience, as always, gasped."

Clinton then segued into her proposal to fix the health care system, using this dramatic story to support her message that it's badly broken.

What a perfect example of using a story to illustrate a point more powerfully than hard facts and statistics could. Kornblut goes on to say that,

"Presidential candidates across the decades, from Ronald Regan to Bill Clinton to George W. Bush, have honed the art of picking out stories to bolster a policy position in particularly human terms."

Why? Because it works.

This story accomplishes the following:

it brings the message alive and puts a human face on a complicated issue (health care)

it makes the point (that the health care system doesn't work as it should) much more memorable, personal and impactful

it allows Clinton to show that she can relate to ordinary people's problems

it may predispose the audience to listen to her solution to the problem

WHAT CAN WE LEARN?

The major take-away is that we should use stories frequently to engage our audiences. In doing this:

look hard to find an appropriate, compelling story that will strengthen your message